Black Sheep

I’ll admit, I went into *Black Sheep* expecting another *‘plucky crew saves the day’* space opera. Instead, I got a protagonist who’s one broken coffee machine away from a mutiny—and I *loved* it. Throttle Reyne is the kind of captain who’d rather jury-rig a reactor with duct tape than inspire her crew, and Emily Woo Zeller nails her voice: a mix of sandpaper-dry humor and the kind of fatigue that comes from 15 years of herding civilians through cryo. The narration’s pacing is brilliant—Zeller speeds up during Throttle’s rants (you can *hear* the eye-rolls) and slows to a crawl during the eerie, silent stretches when the ship’s systems fail. It’s immersive in a way that makes you check your own life support. The story’s strength is its relentless *practicality*. No grand speeches about humanity’s future; just a woman troubleshooting disasters while her crew panics and the ship’s AI might be gaslighting her. The first-contact element is a slow burn, more *‘what the hell is that?’* than *‘take me to your leader,’* which keeps the tension simmering. My only gripe? The side characters sometimes blur together—Throttle’s voice is so dominant that the crew feels like a Greek chorus of incompetence. And while the ending lands, the final act’s pacing stumbles slightly, trading tight claustrophobia for a broader (if satisfying) resolution. Still, for fans of sci-fi that’s *lived-in*—where the heroine’s biggest victory might be keeping the lights on—this is a standout. Zeller’s performance alone makes it worth the listen.